Shadow Of A Hedgehog
by Supreme Shadow
Summary: On distant Drak, a satanic force has awoken. A creature which battled the ancient Echidna's returns. Shadow takes on Grimer, but he may not like the result!
1. Doomsday

Today is a great day. Today is the Day of Remembrance. Today is Doomsday.

Most have forgotten the achievements of Lord Doom. But some remember. The Deep Downers, usually. Those few, proud Drakons, who remember the old ways. The ways decreed by the Three, spoken unto Doom, and conferred to His people, the Black Arms.

A Drakon should not see the sun, unless it is illuminating the corpses of his enemies. That was the first commandment. There were more. Many more. But even the Deep have forgotten most of them. But those that are remembered are clung to. For without them, what do they have?

Doom was eventually struck down by His enemies. The Echidna's. Savages. They slaughtered him, and feasted on His flesh. (Book of Doom, Chapter 82, verse 12). But He had been touched by the three. He walked this plane lightly.

What little remained of His body was recovered, and placed in state. His tomb lies in the deep caverns of Drak. Soon, it was almost forgotten.

Almost.

But the Deep remember. They have to. And every year, on Doomsday, they gather in His tomb. Their numbers have shrunk since those days. But they still gather.

One of them, Na Rak, claims descent from The Lord. His skin is marked as Dooms was. But that means little. Many of his army were marked by skin of black and blood. Still Na Rak insists his claim, and is ignored.

They gather in the tomb, and begin to pray. Lesser fish are slain for their sacrilege. Only Drakon may see the tomb.

The tomb is in His likeness. He was a formidable character, in His time. The first of the Drakon to be granted flesh. The first to walk the land. The one who created the Houses. The leader of their armies. The father of an Empire, now eight thousand years old.

And now Na Rak has entered. Watch him. Notice the markings on his scales. See him bow to the tomb.

See the tomb begin to glow, and break open.

_**Who calls?**_

Power, pure, unchecked, lashes out into the chamber. Watch those touched by it. Watch them fall. Watch them sink into the silt. Watch Na Rak, terrified.

"My lord?"

Watch the creature emerge from the tomb. A single, glowing eye, in the center of a starfish. Watch it look around, speaking without words.

_**Who calls?**_

Watch it wrap around Na Rak. Listen to him scream in agony. Watch the clouds of silt rise, until you can see no more. And listen to the screams.

The screams of birth.

Watch the creature that was Na Rak emerge. Three, great staring eyes. A ring of horns. Hands ending with three great claws.

The others rise. All of them, tall, muscular. Their skin is black, with streaks of red. Their master turns to them.

"This is the day." it rumbles.

"Today, we forge my army in the fires of change. In the flames of destruction. Let lesser boast. Doom acts."

Watch Death Incarnate leave the cavern. Watch his children follow.

This is the day. This is the day.


	2. Chapter and Verse

_I hate this_ Bo Ran thought, pushing a frond aside. _The nerve of him! An ignorant priest! To __**demand**__ seven thousand years of tithes! Scholar should have just killed him, not bowed to his wishes._

"Nevertheless." Scholar had said. "The people love him. They seem to think him a messiah." And then he had sent him, Bo Ran, third in line to the Seat of Knowledge, to curry his favour. HIM! Who had once led an army to a famous victory!

And now, he had reached the clearing where Scholar's personal craft waited. The Black Comet. Great, gleaming, and bristling with weaponry. It alone could destroy a good sized attack force. And now Na Rak controlled it. Once upon a time, ten thousand Sentinels waited to descend. Now it would be filled with out-dated icons and… weaponry.

WHAT?

Lots of weaponry. Dozens of Drakon, wearing Na Rak's colours of black and red, carted crates up the gangway of the Black Comet. And Na Rak himself was supervising. When he realised Bo Ran was there, he extended his arms in greeting. His mutation was more bizarre than Bo Ran had anticipated.

"Bo Ran! My child!" he cried, floating down to him. "I trust your trip went well?"

"It was fine, Na Rak." he replied, ignoring the black look Na Rak gave him.

"That is a name I left behind, Bo Ran. You will refer call me by my true name."

"I'll call you fool, Na Rak." Bo Ran shot, walking past him. "Now show me this drain on our coffers."

He didn't hear Na Rak mutter: "A drain is where things go to waste."

On board, white corridors stretched as far as the eye could see. Drakon ran back and forth. Bo Ran noticed something odd. "Food, Na Rak. What will you eat on this fools errand?"

"I assure you, Bo Ran, food will be the least of our problems. For it is written that "I shall pave their way with bread and milk." Na Rak replied, his three eyes blinking. "This is the word as Doom wrote."

Bo Ran rolled his eyes into his helmet, and walked on. _This idiot thinks he can spread the word of Doom without food? This people are going to die._

Behind him, sentinels gathered by Na Rak's side. Their armour seemed ill-fitting, too tight.

"And what is this?" Bo Ran asked, pausing before a sealed door. He tried to open it, but to no avail. "I was told I would have access to everything, Na Rak."

"I do apologise, my child. Allow me." The door opened at a touch from Na Rak. Mist poured from the darkness.

Inside, line after line of tubes stretched into the mist. Bo Ran ignored the crackles behind him, and began to examine the tubes. "And what are these, Na Rak?"

A monstrous face gazed back at him. Two bulging eyes watched him scream in shock. He stumbled back, into something unyielding. He turned, ashamed of his weakness. "Na Rak, what is…" he began, then realised what he had bumped into.

The Sentinels had discarded their armour. They were tall, muscular. With black skin and red markings. Their black hands scrabbled across his armour, ripping and pulling. Behind them, the door closed.

Na Rak turned to him, smirking. "He shall take my people, and forge them anew in the fire of change." he said, over the screams. "A tragic accident, Bo Ran. A wandering Tharg beast attacked our camp, killing several of my honour guards, and a representative of the House of Knowledge. A shame."

Bo Ran, shorn of his armour, was dragged to a small chamber. "You are, of course in my prayers."

"**YOU CANNOT DO THIS!**" Bo Ran screamed, as the door closed.

"I already have."

**Later.**

It's quiet now.

Many of them chose this life. Many did not.

But now, they know.

They wait, now knowing what they have become.

Hating themselves.

Forever.


	3. Opening Shots

_A few miles above Mobius, against all laws, and common sense, the Floating Island drifts. A vast, sprawling rock, covered in life, home of the legendary Chaos Emeralds. But the thing about legends is, they are legendary. All kinds of things are said about them, which just aren't true._

_But where the power Chaos is concerned, sometimes, the impossible is very possible…_

Dust hung in the air. A choking cloud, tossed up with every step. Knuckles and Tikal strode past the Emeralds, arguing. Always arguing. Porker ignored them, and continued his work on the force field.

"Tikal, I can't just send out a hundred Guardian robots on the strength of a dream!" Knuckles snapped, stopping to fiddle with a computer. _Wish I knew what was wrong with this stupid force field today_ he thought. _Its been spazzy for a while now._

Tikal was determined, though. "Knuckles, you said the same before Vichama. Remember how that went?" She turned to the Emeralds. "I saw it as clearly as I see the Emeralds now. Great darkness is coming. Fire, death, and worse. Death of the mind." She grabbed him, roughly. "I saw a dark god, Knuckles. And I saw you. Bleeding. And its almost here."

Knuckles's reply was cut short by an explosion. "Stay here!" he shouted, hopping into a Zoom Tube.

"Knuckles-"

"STAY HERE!" he ordered, vanishing into the darkness.

"Its here." she said, softly. She turned to Porker. "Porker, we have to contact Sonic. Now."

Outside, Knuckles popped out of the tube, while three Guardian robots flew from beneath the Island. In the distance, a black cloud rose into the sky. Strange, guttural roars rent the air. _Goody._ Knuckles thought. _Been looking for someone to pummel._

He stopped on the hill, looking down on the invaders. Bizarre, demonic creatures, scattered around the shattered hull of a ship. Most of them had died on impact. About twelve were still alive. _Huh. Now that was a bad landing._

He cracked his knuckles. "Alright, boys. Hop it, before I have to get rough." he called to them. They turned at his voice, and looked at him. Into him. And hefted weapons.

The sound of lasers rent the air, as Knuckles ducked behind a handy rock. But it wouldn't last. Already it was dangerously cracked. The Guardians fought back, blasting the invaders, and taking them on hand to hand. _Wait for it. Wait for it. NOW!_

He erupted from behind the rock, and punched it down onto the invaders. They scattered, and he followed after it. One of them dropped a sword of some sort. Knuckles grabbed it and sliced cleanly through one of them. Green blood splurted from the remains. Around him, chaos reigned.

The smell of burnt flesh clogged all the other smells. The scream of lasers and tortured metal deafened. The smoke hid everything. Knuckles was fighting blind. His fist bit into something hard, but yielding. The monster fell back, over the edge, howling. A Robots head crashed into the earth before him. Its body lay a few feet away. A monster howled in jubilation at its victory.

As the smoke cleared, Knuckles realised that almost all the robots were destroyed. Only he and two robots remained. Four of the invaders were still standing. Their lasers cut the last of the Robots down, and Knuckles was all alone.

He dodged the next few shots, desperately thinking. _THINK! These things… not too smart. Use it!_

His foot stomped down, hard, on certain rocks, _here_ and **here.** Huge hands erupted from the ground, reaching blindly for the invaders. The two caught in their grip were squeezed until they exploded in a burst of green.

And then there were two.

Knuckles leapt, knocking one down. The other fired wildly, narrowly missing him. The leaking fuel lit up. The fire moved like a child at play.

The explosion shook the Island, and knocked Knuckles flat. The last invader, panicking, tried to get away. Knuckles grabbed a handy rock and slung it, good and hard. The thing went down like a tree.

It struggled to its feet, but Knuckles held it down.

"Now, just who, or what, are you supposed to be?"

"We am Black Arms." it spat. "We bring God."

Knuckles cocked an eyebrow. "God? Never met him. What are you? Why are you here?"

"I are the Black Arms. We am the rocks the echidna empire will dash themselves to pieces against!" it ranted. Behind them, another explosion shook the Island.

Knuckles saw that familiar silhouette through the smoke. "Too late to play the hero today, Sonic." he called. "Its already taken care of."

**WHAM**

_Not Sonic. Him._

Black fur. Red streaks. Who else?

Shadow.


	4. Smoke and Mirrors

The black hedgehogs fists tore through the rock wall. Knuckles barely dodged the whirlwind.

_He's playing with me._ Knuckles thought. _Last time, I barely touched him._ His fist bunched._ Heh._

His fist connected, good and solid. Shadow hit the ground, clearly stunned. Blood dripped from his nose. _Don't hold back. _Knuckles followed through. Right cross. Upper cut. A nice kick to the chest. Looks like the Ultimate was full of it.

"Come on, Shadow!" he roared, knocking the hedgehog close to the edge. "Show me! Show me how you're going to take the Emeralds!"

And then Shadow grinned.

"Okay."

One, two, three. Every shot connected. Every defence penetrated. Shadow was more powerful than ever.

"I was under the impression echidna's were powerful." the black hedgehog scoffed. "And all I find is a disappointment." He advanced on Knuckles, lying in the mud. "Hold still. It won't hurt." He failed to notice the echidna's hand reaching for a rock.

Arrows rained down, almost accurate. 8,000 years disuse, and they still worked. But not well enough. The hedgehog dodged them with ease, but had to back off Knuckles. "Not bad."

Knuckles pulled himself to his feet. "You'll never have the Emeralds, Shadow. Not again."

"What in the world are you talking about, echidna?" Shadow asking, launching himself at Knuckles. "We've never met before today."

Knuckles punched Shadow in the face, ignoring the doubt ringing in his head. "If you say so."

Shadows boot jets flared, pushing him towards Knuckles yet again. "I can keep this up all day, echidna." he challenged. "Can you?"

He ducked beneath Knuckles's fast left hook. The echidna was already breathing hard. Shadow gave a kick that taught him all kinds of new pain. Blood was flowing freely now, from both of them. Shadow would never admit, but the echidna was good. Great, in fact.

And then the echidna stepped on a rock.

An almighty gust of wind caught them both, sending them skywards. Knuckles, used to gliding, moved for Shadow, his fists cocked.

One chance.

"Chaos Control!"

White. As far as the eye could see. The Ice Cap Zone. A vast wasteland. Before, it was the home of Penguinators and various cold-based badniks. Now, there's nothing there. Nothing to interfere. Nothing to get in the way.

"Chaos Spear!"

The snow melted and steamed at the bite of the spear. Knuckles rolled to the side, trying to remember the booby-traps in this zone.

_There should one right…_**there.**

Knuckles charged, knocking Shadow back. Into a freeze-ray. One flash and a hum later… instant Shadow-sicle.

_So much for the ultimate._ Knuckles thought, turning away. _Better contact Sonic before more of those things from earlier show up._

crk

A faint sound. Like ice cracking.

"Now THAT was good, echidna!" Shadow shouted, kicking him in the back of the head. "You are an excellent warrior! But sadly," he went on, drawing his fist back. "I'm better."

The snow was slippery underfoot. Neither of them had much balance. All they were doing was trashing around. Perhaps another area would show this fool who was the better?

"Chaos Control!"

The sun was baking, after the snow. The last of the ice melted in seconds. Around them stood mushrooms taller than trees.

"Big mistake, buddy." Knuckles groaned, gritting his teeth for one last assault. Shadow scoffed. Right cross! Shadow dropped, at long last. That one connected!

"You're good, Shadow. Anywhere else, you'd probably beat me." Knuckles explained, still pounding away. "But I grew up here. I know all kinds of tricks."

With that, a huge stone hand arose, grabbing Shadow, holding him. "Now, you're going to tell me what you're doing. What those things were."

"Tell you, echidna?" Shadow laughed. "I'll do you one better. I'll show you." And he pointed, at a vast warship, high overhead. Hundreds of those… _things_ dropped from it.

"Can any of your tricks defend you against that?" Shadow asked, smirking.


	5. The Fall

While Shadow struggled free of the hand, Knuckles could only watch as Guardian Droids took to the air to battle the airborne enemies.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?_ he thought, panicking. _I could barely stop a few of them, and now there's… hundreds. __**Thousands!**_

Behind him, the rock hand broke into pieces. Shadow shrugged the last of it off. "Well, echidna, do you surrender now?" he asked, smirking.

Knuckles turned to him, his face hidden behind his dreadlocks. "Give up?"

His fist shot through the air, connecting solidly with Shadows face.

"_Never!"_ he shouted, leaping after the black hedgehog. "I'll never give up! I'll die before you get the Emeralds!"

Shadow blocked him easily, and laughed. "The Emeralds? Echidna, your kind never could see past a bauble. We're here for something much more important." He punched Knuckles in the stomach, then kicked him in the face.

"What do you want?" Knuckles demanded, swinging wildly.

"Well, the Emeralds are important, yes. But what we really want is-" Shadow began, but was cut off by a Guardian Robot sending him flying.

Knuckles chased after him, (_never let him catch his breath. That's what Sonic said)_, hoping for something, anything, that could help.

"Once chance." he muttered. "No holding back." He saw Shadow begin to pick himself up. "Now!"

A nice uppercut. Right cross. A beauty to the chest. Shadow couldn't even defend himself now.

'Course, he could use Chaos Control to warp behind him. Which he did. "Just give up." Shadow advised, bringing his fists down on Knuckles' neck. "You can't win this. No one can." Knuckles fell to his knees, bleeding. "And now… Chaos Control!"

The Emerald Chamber. Where else? Already, the creatures had cornered Porker and Tikal. Another fiddled with the consoles.

"You see? We've won. The Island has fallen. Doom has come." Shadow went on. Knuckles said nothing. "Soon, now, Iblis will return. And Dies Irae will begin."

One of the creatures reached out, taking the Grey Emerald. Energy crackled, but no more.

Tikal tried to get to Knuckles, but was roughly shoved to the ground. Porker was terrified, barely coherent.

_I fail. Again. Robotnik, Chaos, Zachary, the Special Zone. All my fault._

_No._

_Never._

_Never again._

_**NEVER AGAIN!**_

He drove his fist into the ground, along a certain fault line. Half the creatures vanished into the abyss. The rest pulled out their weapons, the Emeralds forgotten.

"NO!" Shadow screamed, raising his hands. "Take the Tears! I'll deal with the Guardian!"

Knuckles bunched his fist. _No words. No mercy._

He unloaded everything. All his power. Shadow tried to fight back, to no avail. One of them creatures reached for the Master Emerald…

Knuckles pushed past Shadow, smacking a pillar as he did so. A section of cave wall collapsed onto Shadow, burying him. Knuckles ignored him for now, knocking several of the creatures flying with a swing.

"You'll never get the Emeralds!" he screamed, over the sound of laser fire. He grabbed a fallen sword, and cleaved neatly through one of the monsters. He reached for the Gray Emerald, lying on the ground…

One kick from Shadow sent the sword flying. Knuckles skidded across the Chamber, and came to a rest against the far wall. "He told me you were stubborn, Echidna. He didn't say you were stupid." Shadow whispered, moving in, while, unknownst to him, Knuckles reached for a rock behind his back.

"Just die!" Knuckles roared, slamming the rock into Shadow's face, and leapt, bearing him down to the floor, and began to pound. "You twisted, selfish freak! Just flippin' die!"

Two dozen lasers fired simultaneously. Two dozen bolts struck Knuckles. And the look on Shadow's face would keep him warm on all the cold nights to come. And he realised, as he went down, there probably wouldn't be many of those in his future.

Shadow shoved the body aside, and got to his feet. He cocked his head, at a voice only he could hear. "Very well, master." He turned to the creatures. "Get the rest of the Tears. We are moving out."

The Master Emerald was removed with ease, and placed beside the Gray. Shadow watched with satisfaction. _Soon, my lord…_

And then the echidna was up, and reaching desperately for a lever.

And then the Emeralds were gone.

"You'll… never have them." Knuckles gasped, leaning against the console. "Never."

One punch, and he was down for the count.

"Well, that puts a crimp in our plans." Shadow muttered, massaging his hand. Only two Emeralds out of seven. Better than none. He could feel the vibrations of the Island as gravity started to cash its cheques.

_A nice clear night_ Tails thought, watching his lure bobbing in the lake. _The kind of night we fought for, back in the day._

Sonic sat back, watching the opening sequence of Super Marxio Sunshine. _Dunno why Amy got me this game. Not like anyone's interested in the adventures of a plumber._

Shortfuse scudded along gently amongst the clouds. The moon gleamed overhead. Feeling a bit childish, he turned a quick barrel roll, and then dived, watching the stars recede and pinwheel as he did.

None of them noticed the large chunk of rock heading towards them.


	6. Twilight

Hell.

The screams of the dying. The silence of the dead. The flames of destroyed homes.

Just rubble remained in the centre of the Emerald Hill. The icy night air whipped at Sonics spines as he tore through the darkness.

_No. No. No._ That was all he could think. No words sprang to mind. Just the idea that someone could have done so much damage.

He reached the top of the hill, and looked down. The Floating Island stuck out of the hill, while people milled about beneath it, crying for family and friends, who would never reply.

_Knuckles, what have you done?_

The Chaotix were already digging at the rubble. Tails joined Sonic on the hill.

"What happened?!" the young fox demanded.

"The Island… it just…" Sonic trailed off. Something was moving on the Island. _You're mine._

The solitary Black Arm started at the rush of wind.

"Alright, pal. Who are you, and where is Knuckles?" the spiky thing demanded. It was similar to the Avatar, physically, at least. Its voice was harsher, though. The Arm raised its weapon.

Which wasn't there anymore. It was in the things hand, and pointing at the Arm. "You can talk, can't you?"

"In a way. They're not too big on independent thought, though." said someone, overhead. Sonic looked up, knowing who it was, but praying he was wrong.

Shadow.

"What did you do?" Sonic asked, softly. The black hedgehog grinned.

"It was the echidna who ejected the Emeralds, not me." he said.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Sonic screamed, hurling himself at the smirking maniac. Shadow dodged with ease, letting Sonic plough into the rock of the Island.

"Temper, temper, blue-boy." Shadow tossed, turning a complete 180 to face Sonic again. "Don't want to unleash the beast." He leapt back, dodging Sonic again. "Oh come on, are you even trying?" he asked, blocking a weak punch.

The rock broke apart beneath their feet. Sonic slipped into the crevice, away from Shadow. Shadow fell back, towards the ground.

_No matter what, Shadow, I'll make you pay._

He dragged himself out of the earth, pieces of dirt filling his sneakers. And looked down onto his worst nightmare.

Hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of those black things, attacking what remained of the Emerald Hill. More descended from the sky. And in the midst of it all, Shadow fighting Mighty and Tails.

"No."

He spun into one of the black creatures, and used it to ricochet towards Shadow again. _You're mine._

The black hedgehog spun, smacking Sonic in the face, millimetres away. "I thought I would find a challenge here." Shadow began, punching Sonic in the face. "And all I find is a disappointment!"

The black creatures swept across the Emerald Hill. Fire and death followed them. Shadow's foot began to push Sonic into the soft earth.

_Not… like… this… like…_

_THIS!_

Sonic twisted, awkwardly. Shadow's foot slipped, sinking into the mud. "You twisted-" Sonic screamed, before a laser blast to the back sent him flying. Around him, the screaming continued.

People all around were being dragged by the creatures towards red veins, descending from the sky. The screech of lasers ripped the night air. The Freedom Fighters were fighting a losing battle. Just like old times.

The stench of burning blocked every other smell. For the first time, the Emerald Hill burnt.

The Omni-Viewer appeared before him, panicked. "Sonic, we have to leave!" it shouted, desperate. "There's just too many. Everyone else is safe, but-"

Sonic waved it into silence, and looked at his home. They needed him, here and now.

They needed him alive.

"Damn."

He took one last look, then climbed into the screen.

"I'll be back."


	7. Run

Shadow watched the soldiers drag the last of the unbelievers away. And it was good. Their work was going well.

Lord Doom stood beside him. "Five of the Tears are lost, scattered throughout this unworthy rock." He said, placing a paternal hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"I know, Father. And I-"

"Do not apologise for the trickery of the echidna's." Lord Doom interrupted. "Our conversion of this planet can continue as planned, but we must have the Tears to finally end this war."

Shadow turned to him, angry and righteous. "Then let me go, Lord! I can find them, and bring them back to you. I can-"

The Lord laughed jovially. "Easy, my child. I came to ask you to undertake that task. I can see you will succeed." Shadow grinned, and turned to leave. "Shadow?"

"Yes, Father?"

"May Iblis be with you."

Shadow smiled, and tore across the valley. The grass burned beneath his boots. _Wherever you go, blue-boy, I'll find you._

Doom turned back to the lines of people. He watched their faces. Smelt their fear. And it was sweet.

"Rejoice and repent, ye sinners!" he called, spreading his arms wide. "Where once ye walked in darkness, now shall ye step into the light, baked anew in the fires of change!"

And the screams began.

Many miles away, the grass became earth, then mud, and finally a river. The Aquatic Ruin Zone, where one of their own had been slain by the cowardly hedgehog.

Unbeknownst to him, camera's watched him skate past. And in the base, Grimer shivered. He locked the door to the Doctor's room, and sealed the case containing the Emerald. Defences were activated.

All pointless, though.

Nothing would stop him. Grimer knew it. Shadow would rip the world apart if he had to.


	8. Rallying the troops

They ran away.

They left the zone to those… _things_! Abandoned their responsibility. Again.

Just like Johnny.

The thought kept rattling around Sonic's head. Knuckles, dead. The Island, practically destroyed. And an army of those monsters ripping his home apart.

And they ran away.

His fist pounded the rock wall of the Marble Garden. Sweat ran down his face from the heat of the lava, while the others just sat there, in shock.

Those things were unstoppable. What the hell happened? No warning, no mysterious signs, no build-up! Nothing.

Behind him, the Omni-Viewer began to take control. "Listen to me!" it was shouting above the hubbub. "LISTEN!" Its electronic voice crackled and sparked. "Whatever those things were, we can stop them, but you all need to calm down!"

And they did.

"Now, we need to learn about these things. What do we know?" it went on.

"Black and red." Mighty answered.

"Strong. Fast." came from Tails.

"They work with, or for, Shadow." Sonic said. The others turned in shock. "He's back. He did it. All of it. He crashed the Island. He killed Knuckles. And he brought those things here." He began pacing, gesticulating into the air. "After everything, he does this. After EVERYTHING." He stopped, and looked directly at the Viewer. "Where are those things now?"

"Now? Um…. Metropolis Zone. " it answered, showing the monsters rampaging through the city.

"Take us there. This ends now." Sonic ordered, his voice steely.

"Sonic, I don't think-"Tails began.

"Shut up, Pixel Brain. If we don't stop this now, we won't be able to. They're taking people, doing who knows what. We have to stop it."

He turned to the others. Scared, tired and confused. Just like old times.

"Lets rumble."


	9. Combat

He felt the cracked pavement beneath his feet. Saw the red sky, inhaled the stench of sulphur. Metropolis was burning. People were dying.

_Time to be a hero._

The gang split up, the Chaotix going left, the Freedom Fighters going right. Sonic took point, diving headfirst into the fray. _Not again. I am not losing to these things again._

Laserbeams spattered around him. He dodged with ease. No way they were going to tag him. "Hey, idiots! Fastest thing alive here! Haven't you heard the song?" he shouted, leap-frogging over a massive beast. "Of course you haven't. And you know why? You don't got class."

He dropped to the ground and slammed hard into the things back. "You don't got style. And you certainly don't got game." The thing only snarled in response. "I hate it when they don't talk. Gives me less material." He took off, spin-attacking one of the smaller ones.

"Now, you guys, hasn't it occurred to you why people don't like you?" He slipped beneath it, giving it a good uppercut to the jaw. "Y'know, the invading and blowing up stuff and random acts of violence don't really behove you. Personally, and this is just me, I'd prolly show up with chocolates, maybe some chilli dogs. THEN blow stuff up."

Shortfuse appeared beside him. "Usually you've got better material than that," he remarked, casually swatting an upturned car at the monsters. "Whats the matter, your motor mouth out of fuel?"

"Nah, I normally fight things that can talk. Gives me something t-." Sonic broke off to vault over a bus. "HUP-la!" Before them, another big one. "Hey, you think if I eat my greens I'll grow as big as that guy?"

The cybernik and hedogehog circled the beast, keeping a safe distance. "Pretty tough hide on these guys, huh?" Shortfuse offered.

"Why? Forgot to update your system lately?" Sonic bit off the rest of his joke to dodge a fist the size of the Bruise Brothers. "Hey, tossing jokes here!"

"Actually, I was just worried whether or not I could open up on these guys." Shortfuse explained, getting a bit of height. "But y'know what? I don't care anymore." The thing screamed as Shortfuse blasted it with everything he had, slowly sinking to its knees.

"Okay, looks like you've got things under control here, Shorty," Sonic shouted over his shoulder, already moving. "I gotta check on the others! Meetcha back here in thirty minutes, okay?" He didn't bother to wait for a reply. Wind in his spikes, an enemy to fight, a world in peril... he lived for this.

_Maybe I should be worried about this mentality._

_Nah._

He spotted Amy, surrounded by the monsters. Her bow was just annoying the things. _Hey, damsel in distress. _He jumped in, grabbed Amy, and dragged her to safety. "No need to thank me, all part of the job description. Damsels in distress a specialty."

Noticing her glower, he skidded to a halt. "What? You're not angry, are you?"

"I haven't been in distress for years, Sonic. Get that through your skull!" she snapped, storming off. "Other people need your help."

_Tough crowd, huh?_ he thought, watching the city burn. _Okay, time to think now. Need to find out where these guys are, separate them, deal with them that way. Just going in swinging isn't working. We need a plan. Unfortunately, our smartest guy was on the Island when it-_

And then he remembered Porker. Knuckles. Tikal.

_They will burn._

A break in the clouds above him allowed him to see the ship approaching. And the thousands dropping from it. Reinforcements. Way too many to fight. The city was lost.

"Not like this." he whispered. "Not like this."

He hurled himself into the crowd, ignoring Amy's shouting. "I didn't fight Robotnik for years, didn't give up EVERYTHING I cared about, just for you maniacs to waltz in and wreck it! None of us did!" Didn't matter how tough their skin was. He could hit it hard enough. For once, there was nothing holding him back.

Fire filled his belly, gave his legs extra muscles. Nothing on Mobius could stop him now. _They will burn._ He could feel Super Sonic stirring, and didn't care. _They will burn._

"Sonic!"

There was nothing left to fight. The ones around him were gone. But more were coming. "We have to get out of here," he said, grabbing Amy. "There're more coming, and we can't fight them. Not like this. We need a plan. We need to find the others."

He turned at the thud behind them. Red veins connected to the ship punching into the ground. _What now?_


	10. Remember, remember

"You have something I want, Mobian." Shadow said, leaping above a barrage of missiles. "I recommend you hand it over, before blood is spilt." He landed on the cockpit of the flying machine, where no sane pilot would shoot.

"Who are you working with NOW, Shadow? Zachary? Metallix?!" the pilot screamed, swinging the machine wildly in an effort to dislodge him.

"I am an agent of God, Mobian. Those names mean nothing to me." Shadow replied, digging his fingers into the tempered steel. _Gotta be a- ah, there it is._ With a sharp thug, he ripped several wires from the machine, blowing every fuse and frying every circuit in the machine. "Now, tell me what I want to know. I may spare your life."

The pilot scoffed, and spat in his face. "I'll never tell you where the Doctor is. I'd die before-"

Shadow grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "I don't care about Doctors, and whatever code of honour you serve. I want the Chaos Emerald. Give it to me, and I can leave." Wordlessly, too scared even to speak, the pilot pointed into the husk of the machine. Shadow dropped him and began to root through the wreckage.

_Gotcha._

He compared the two Emeralds. The Orange and Blue Emeralds. The Father had specified these be the first he recovered. For whatever reason he had.

And he remembered.

The Professor, so kind. Reading to him.

Father. With the whip and electricity.

The Other. Trying to reach him.

A thousand lives unrolled before his eyes.

The crack of the laser rifle. The smile of a maiden. The chill winds of Nihilus. The darkness at the heart of the universe. The power crackling from his fingertips. Echidnas. War. Death. Darkness. Screams. Fire. Hope. Faith. Hell.

_This is hell._ he thought. _This is... what? I cannot-_

A thousand thousand lives. The Other. The hero. The villain. So alike, so different. The Holy Words. Exploding suns. Death and birth. Father, mother and son. Destiny and free will.

A thousand ideas spinning through his mind. But always, at the very core, the smiling face of the Professor.

"What did you do, Mobian? How did you get in my head?!" he snarled, pushing through the web of confusion. He couldn't think straight. Couldn't see. Just a blur. He pounded the floor. An anchor. Had to find an anchor. Something real.

Squinting, fighting the pain, he fixed his gaze on the fallen Emeralds. They sparked and cracked at him. But they were enough. They had to be.

_I am Shadow the Hedgehog. Chosen avatar of the god of the Mind, servant of the avatar of the Might. Servant of the Time God. And these are just illusions!_

_Aren't they?_

Father had warned him of this. The greatest war would be within, against the demons of doubt. Push through, he had said. The Gods would help those who helped themselves.

"Their will be done." he whispered. He stood up, shaking the doubts away. "I am Shadow the Hedgehog. And I will serve faithfully." He grabbed the two Emeralds and walked away, giving the pilot a kick as he passed.

Returning to the light of the day, he fixed his gaze to the east. He could feel the Emerald, pulling at him and the Emeralds he held.

_I'll create my own future. With these hands._


End file.
